Refrigerator cabinet



Feb. 22, 1966 D. B. DAWLEY REFRIGERATOR CABINET Filed Dec. 21, 1964F'IGI DANIEL B. DAWLEY m TTORNEY United States Patent 3,236,576REFRIGERATOR CABINET Daniel B. Dawley, Anchorage, Ky., assignor toGeneral Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 21, 1964,Ser. No. 419,861 3 Claims. (Cl. 312213) The present invention relates torefrigerator cabinets of the type including a machinery compartment atthe bottom thereof and has as its principal object the provision of animproved grille and grille mounting means for closing the vent openingto the machinery compartment.

Many household refrigerators including a machinery compartment at thebottom portion thereof also includes a drain pan in the machinerycompartment for receiving and disposing of defrost moisture from therefrigerated compartment or compartments. In order that the drain pancan be periodically cleaned, some means must be provided for readyaccess to the machinery compartment and to that end there is provided anaccess opening in the front wall of the refrigerator cabinet and aremovable decorative grille for normally covering this access opening.As this grille extends forwardly from the face of the cabinet, it andits support must be strong enough to support a persons weight withoutbeing displaced or damaged in the event the user accidentally orintentionally steps on the grille.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedgrille and grille supporting arrangement meeting the above requirements.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds and the features of novelty whichcharacterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided arefrigerator cabinet including a machinery compartment in the lowerportion thereof and an access opening to the machinery compartmentextending along the front of the cabinet. For closing the access openingto the machinery compartment, there is provided a grille of a generallybox-like structure including end walls and support means for rem-ovablysupporting the grille on the cabinet. The support means includes a pairof sheet metal brackets, one at each end of the access opening, and eachof these brackets includes one leg overlying and secured to the wall ofthe cabinet and a second leg which projects forwardly from the first legand which preferably is tapered so that at least the lower edge thereofis inclined. Upper and lower projections provided on the opposed endwalls of the grille are designed respectively to be received in upperand lower grooves provided in each of the brackets when the grille ismounted on the cabinet. A generally horizontal slot in the forwardlyextending bracket leg divides this leg into a relatively rigid upperportion of a strength suflicient to support the grille and the weight ofa person standing on the grille and a spring-like lower portion which issufiiciently resilient to permit the lower projections to be mounted inthe respective lower grooves and which applies a downward force on thelower projections suflicient to firmly anchor the upper projections intheir mating grooves when the grille is assembled on the cabinet. Bythis arrangement, the lower spring-like portions of the brakets providea springlike anchoring and release means permitting the grille to beremoved from or replaced on the cabinet wall while the upper portion ofthe brackets provide all of the strength necessary for supporting thegrille and any normal weight placed thereon.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a lower portion of a refrigeratorcabinet;

FIGURE 2 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of the grille andgrille mounting arrangement of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention.

With the reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, there is shown arefrigerator cabinet including a refrigerated storage compartment 1 anda door 2 for closing the access opening to the compartment 1. Amachinery compartment 3 provided in the lower portion of the cabinet andseparated from the food storage compartment by means of an insulatedpartition 4 has an access opening 5 at the front thereof which is closedby a grille 6.

A drain and evaporating pan 7 positioned within the machinerycompartment 3 in heating relationship with the condensing unit 8 ispositioned to receive defrost water flowing from the storage compartment1 through a drain tube 9 in the partition 4.

The grille 6 for closing the access opening 5 in the front wall 10 ofthe cabinet is of a generally box-like structure including a front wall12 having vents 14 therein, a top wall 15 and opposed end walls 17, onlyone of which is shown.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated particularly in FIGURE 2of the drawing, a grille mounting and support means comprises a sheetmetal bracket generally indicated by the numeral 18 and including afirst leg or flange 19 secured as by means of screws or bolts 20 to theface 10 of the cabinet on opposite ends of the access opening 5 and anangularly or forwardly extending leg or flange 21 projecting forwardlyfrom the face of the cabinet within the box-like grille 6. A slit 22extending generally horizontally from the forward edge of the leg 21entirely through this leg, and preferably part way into the leg 19,divides the leg 21 into a rigid upper portion 23 and a resilient orspring-like lower portion 24. Preferably both the upper and lower edgesof the bracket leg 21 are inclined respectively downwardly and upwardlyso that the leg 21 as is more clearly illustrated in FIGURE 4 of thedrawing tapers forwardly.

An upper groove 26 in the upper edge of the bracket and a lower groove27 in the lower edge of the springlike portion 24 of the bracket aredesigned respectively to receive an upper projecting means 28 and alower projecting means 29 secured to the end wall 17 of the grille forfirmly supporting the grille 6 on the face of the cabinet.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URE 2, theprojections 28 and 29 form part of the U-shaped rod positioned orcontained within the boxlike grille and having its base portion 30suitably secured as by means of welding or brazing to the inner surfaceof an end wall 17. The projections 28 and 29 extend inwardly in a planewhich is generally parallel to the base 10 of the cabinet when thegrille is positioned on the cabinet or in other words in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the plane of the bracket leg 23,

In mounting the grille on the cabinet it is only necessary to place thegrille in front of the cabinet and position the upper projections 28 intheir respective grooves 26. By a downward tilting movement of thegrille, the lower projections 29 are moved downwardly along the slopinglower edges of the portions 24, the resiliency of the lower portions 24of the bracket causing these portions to spring upwardly a sufi'icientdistance so that the lower projections 29 can be moved into positionwithin the lower grooves 27 and against the shoulders 30 forming therear wall of these grooves.

The downward biasing force of the spring'like portions 24 bearingagainst the lower projections 29 firmly anchors the upper projections 28in their supporting grooves. For removal of the grille, it is merelynecessary to grasp the lower edge thereof and with an outward tiltingmovement cause the projections 29 to slide free of the respectivegrooves 27 after which the grille can be moved forwardly to a positionin which the projections 29 clear the lower portions 24.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URE 3 the supportprojections on the grille end wall 17 are in the form of rods or studs31 and 32 rigidly secured to a base plate 33 which in turn is secured bybracing or welding to the end wall 17. The studs 31 and 32 are spacedfrom one another a distance such that as to be firmly and securelyreceived in the upper and lower grooves 26 and 27.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URE 4 of thedrawing, the grille 6 is provided with end walls indicated by thenumeral 35 of sheet metal or suitable plastic material formed to includeas an integral part thereof upper and lower projections 36 and 37designed to be received in the upper and lower grooves 26 and 27 and tofunction in the same manner as the projecting means 28 and 29.

From the above description, it will be seen that there has been provideda grille and grille support means of simple, low cost construction. Thegrille will support any normal or abnormal weights or forces placedthereon and yet can easily be removed and reassembled on the cabinetfront wall. In addition and particularly in the case of the embodimentsof the invention illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawing, thegrille mounting design allows a wide variation in cabinet widths andbracket spacing without affecting the performance of the supportingmeans.

While there has been shown and described specific embodiments of thepresent invention, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited thereto and it is intended by the appended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a refrigerator cabinet including a machinery compartment, a wallincluding an access opening to said compartment and a grille includingend walls covering said opening, means for removably supporting saidgrille on said cabinet comprising:

a sheet metal bracket connected to said wall at each end of saidopening,

each of said brackets including a leg projecting for-' wardly from saidwall, said leg including upper and lower edges, each having a groovetherein,

upper and lower projecting means on said grille end walls adapted to bereceived in said grooves when said grille is mounted on said cabinet,

said leg also including a slit extending rearwardly from the forward endthereof and spaced from said lower edge of said leg to divide said leginto a rigid upper portion for supporting said grille and a spring-likelower portion adapted to be resiliently displaced as the lowerprojecting means is snapped into position in said lower edge groove andto exert thereon a downward force anchoring said upper projecting meansin said upper edge groove.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet including a machinery compartment, a frontwall including an access opening to said compartment and a grilleincluding end walls covering said opening, means for removablysupporting said grille on said cabinet comprising:

sheet metal brackets respectively connected to said front wall atopposite ends of said opening,

each of said brackets including one leg overlying and secured to saidcabinet and a second leg projecting forwardly from said first leg,

said second leg being tapered forwardly and including a downwardlyinclined upper edge and an upwardly inclined lower edge,

each of said edges having a groove therein,

upper and lower projecting means on said grille adapted to be receivedin said grooves when said grille is mounted on said cabinet,

each of said brackets including a slit extending rearwardly from theforward edge of said second leg and part way into said first leg,

said slit being spaced from said lower edge of said bracket to dividesaid bracket into a rigid upper portion and a spring-like lower portion,said projecting means being spaced a distance such that when said grilleis mounted on said cabinet said lower portion exerts on the said lowerprojecting means a downward force serving to anchor said upperprojecting means in said upper edge groove.

3. In a refrigerator cabinet including a machinery compartment, 21 frontwall including an access opening to said compartment and a grilleincluding end walls covering said opening, means for removablysupporting said grille on said cabinet comprising:

sheet metal brackets respectively connected to said wall at oppositeends of said opening,

each of said brackets including one leg overlying and secured to saidwall and a second leg projecting forwardly from said first leg,

said second leg being tapered forwardly and including a downwardlyinclined upper edge and an upwardly inclined lower edge,

each of said edges having a vertical groove therein,

upper and lower projecting means on each of said grille end wallsadapted to be received respectively in said grooves in said upper andlower edges when said grille is mounted on said cabinet,

each of said brackets including a slit extending rearwardly from theforward edge of said second leg and part way into said first leg,

said slit being spaced from said lower edge of said bracket to dividesaid bracket into a rigid upper portion and a spring-like lower portionwhereby said lower portion can be resiliently displaced to permit thelower projecting means to be snapped over the lower inclined edge ofsaid bracket and into the groove therein upon mounting movement of saidgrille in the direction of said front wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,307 11/1939Sywert 220- 2,663,431 12/1953 Clarke 53124 2,726,825 12/1955 Ziskin24255.4

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS. Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A REFRIGERATOR CABINET INCLUDING A MACHINERY COMPARTMENT, A WALLINCLUDING AN ACCESS OPENING TO SAID COMPARTMENT AND A GRILLE INCLUDINGEND WALLS COVERING SAID OPENING, MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SUPPORTING SAIDGRILLE ON SAID CABINET COMPRISING: A SHEET METAL BRACKET CONNECTED TOSAID WALL AT EACH END OF SAID OPENING, EACH OF SAID BRACKETS INCLUDING ALEG PROJECTION FORWARDLY FROM SAID WALL, SAID LEG INCLUDING UPPER ANDLOWER EDGES, EACH HAVING A GROOVE THEREIN, UPPER AND LOWER PROJECTINGMEANS ON SAID GRILLE END WALLS ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED IN SAID GROOVESWHEN SAID GRILLE IS MOUNTED ON SAID CABINET, SAID LEG ALSO INCLUDING ASLIT EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND SPACED FROMSAID LOWER EDGE OF SAID LEG TO DIVIDE SAID LEG INTO A RIGID UPPERPORTION FOR SUPPORTING SAID GRILLE AND A SPRING-LIKE LOWER PORTIONADAPTED TO BE RESILIENTLY DISPLACED AS THE LOWER PROJECTING MEANS ISSNAPPED INTO POSITION IN SAID LOWER EDGE GROOVE AND TO EXERT THEREON ADOWNWARD FORCE ANCHORING SAID UPPER PROJECTING MEANS IN SAID UPPER EDGEGROOVE.